NHL - Dany Heatley Traded to San Jose

Dany Heatley has pulled a “Jay Cutler” and whined his way out of Ottawa to land in the sunny city of San Jose, California. Landing Heater continues a longtime tradition of San Jose adding superstars to their ranks. Now if they can just win in the playoffs for once…

The Sharks relinquished some big names in the trade, including Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo, but the arrival of Heatley gives the Sharks some much needed offense. Ok, that last sentence was a joke. The Sharks ranked seventh overall with 3.06 goals per game last year, and ranked third with 33.2 shots on goal. But when you have the chance to get the most hated hockey player in the world, and a sudden cancer in the locker room, then you jump all over it, right?

Heatley had 72 points with 39 goals and 33 assists on the top-line of the Senators in 2008. At one time, the Alfredsson-Heatley-Spezza line was the most feared scoring line in the league. But teams figured them out, and the coaching staff in Ottawa had to do something to get over the hump. Heatley caught wind of some of their decisions, and without even letting them play out, he demanded a trade. He went from being one of the most feared forwards in the game, to the most hated man in the league. Requesting a trade from Ottawa, and kyboshing a potential trade with Edmonton, cemented his dark reputation.

It’s telling that the often silent Daniel Alfredsson, the face of the franchise in Ottawa and the undeniable leader of the locker room, threw Heatley under the bus almost immediately when asked by the press about the situation. Alfie is typically one of the league’s class acts, and the fact that he had grown tired of Heatley after enjoying so much success spoke largely of the locker room’s disdain for Heatley’s actions.

Heatley signed a six-year, $45 million deal a couple years ago after being dealt from Atlanta. Needless to say, this summer has been a complete train-wreck for Heatley’s public reputation. Or do we say “car-wreck” in his situation?

Either way, it’s a great fit for San Jose and Heatley to join their forces of failure and sadness together. Nobody in the world of hockey wants to see Heatley ever win a Stanley Cup. Now that he’s in San Jose, he probably never will.